Katarzyna Mickiewicz

Katarzyna Mickiewicz is a Research Fellow at Newcastle University's Faculty of Medical Sciences, specializing in antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and bacterial antibiotic evasion mechanisms. Her work focuses on L-form switching, a phenomenon where bacteria evade antibiotics, contributing to recurrent infections such as urinary tract infections, sepsis, and mastitis. Supported by cutting-edge facilities like advanced microscopy, her research bridges clinical and experimental models to uncover how L-forms survive within host immune cells and persist in patients.

• Research Aims: Investigate genetic factors enabling L-form switching, host environmental influences on L-form survival, and potential treatments.
• Key Impact: Demonstrated L-forms' role in recurrent infections and their paradoxical survival inside immune cells, highlighting critical gaps in current antibiotic strategies.

She secured a UKRI Future Leaders Fellowship to advance her program, aiming to become a global leader in AMR research. Her work addresses the urgent need to combat AMR, which currently claims 1.2 million lives annually and threatens to escalate to 10 million by 2050.